Trolley for tourists launches

Service goes from beach to downtown

Hollywood — City officials want guests at beach hotels to shop and dine downtown instead of leaving for Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale or South Beach.

They're hoping a new trolley service will persuade tourists to stay in town.

"We are in the business of tourism, and this is what people come to expect when they come to a tourism area," said Commissioner Beam Furr.

City commissioners recently voted to offer the trolley service, named the HOT Express, this tourist season, building on a successful pilot program last year.

Two 28-passenger, air-conditioned trolleys officially will begin service Dec. 13, shuttling tourists every 30 minutes for trips from beach hotels to downtown destinations. The service will run through April 27.

The Hollywood Office of Tourism, which operates the trolley, also could expand service for days with special events, like Fat Tuesday, said Manuel Pila, director of marketing for the Hollywood Beach Community Redevelopment Agency.

At the beach, the trolley will make stops along Ocean Drive, at the Hollywood Beach Culture and Community Center and at hotels including the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa, Hollywood Beach Marriott and Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach Resort. The shuttle will drop off passengers downtown at Anniversary Park, Harrison Street near Dixie Highway, and the southeast quadrant of ArtsPark at Young Circle.

The trolley will cost $1 for adults and will be free for children 12 and younger.

The city will pay South Florida Trolley Company $48 an hour to operate the trolley, costing the city about $105,960 for the entire tourist season. That figure could increase but may not exceed the $150,000 the city has set aside for operating the trolley.

Hollywood hoteliers said the trolley will help them compete with resorts in other cities to attract groups and conventions.

"We're up against the Fontainebleau" in Miami Beach, said Mark Kukulski, general manager of the Westin Diplomat. "[Guests] ask, 'What do you have to offer that I can walk out and do?' "

Some commission members, including Mayor Mara Giulianti, questioned the decision to operate the trolley Sundays, when few downtown shops are open for business.

Kukulski responded that Sundays are when group and convention guests have the most free time to use the shuttle.

City planners said they hope more downtown businesses will open Sundays once they see the shuttle bringing in a steady stream of potential customers.